The Process

Processing Down and Feathers

Feather Industries uses a five stage cleaning process that thoroughly and effectively cleans and sanitizes Down and feathers and then separates and sorts the down and feathers according to their size and weight ensuring a superior quality product exceeding all Canadian and international standards.

De-dusting | Washing | Drying | Sorting | Bagging

1. De-Dusting System

The dust removal system consists of the feeding equipment, pre-separator for the course waste, de-dusting for elimination of fine dust and foreign particles and filtering system for bagging of waste material.

Baled Down and feathers weighing up to 500 Lbs are placed in the bale separator, broken apart and sent to the loading silo where they are dropped into the de-dusting machine and sent through a series of cycles to remove course waste and fine dust by a vacuum chamber. The naturally biodegradable material is bagged for landfill sites.

The de-dusted Down and Feather are sent to the loading of the washing machine.

2. Washing system

The washing system consists of the feeding equipment, washing chamber and centrifuge dryer.

Down and Feather are sent to the loading silo, then up to 500Ibs at a time are dropped into the washer which has been filled with warm water. A biodegradable detergent and degreaser are added ensuring a thorough cleaning. A special rinsing procedure of up to 15 cycles takes palace to completely process and rinse away fine dust and residue.

A sanitizing agent is added in the final rinsing process, eliminating bacteria, rendering the Down and Feathers hypo-allergenic, and ensuring they will stay cleaner and fresher. The Cleaned Down and Feathers are then sent to the Centrifuge which removes the bulk of the water through a brief cyclical motion. Once this is complete the Down and Feathers are sent to the loading silo of the Steam dryer.

3. Drying system

The Drying System consists of the Feeding Equipment,Steam Dryer, Cooling Chamber and Filter System for coarse dust.

Down and Feathers are sent to the loading silo and fed into the Steam Dryer where the temperature is raised to 100 degrees Celsius drying and sterilizing them. They are then transferred to the cooling Chamber and are kept in continuous motion through air circulation in a large Cylinder.As they are cooled and fluffed coarse dust is removed through a filter system.

The Washed, Dried and Sterilized Down and Feathers either bagged, or may sent to the loading silo of the sorting Machine.

4. Sorting System

The sorting System consists of the feeding Equipment, Sorting Machine and Filtering System for fine dust.

Up to 200 Lbs of Down and Feathers are sent to the loading silo where small batches are dropped into the sorting Machine and separated by swiftly circulating air in vertical chambers that have hinged doors on each compartment. Less buoyant Feathers settle into compartments according to their size and weight. The much prized Down accumulates in the last compartment. This process may take up to 4 hours to fully separate the Down and Feathers.

Throughout the sorting process fine dust and impurities are removed through a filter system. The separated Down and feathers are now sent to the Bagging System.

5. Bagging System

The separated Down and Feathers are removed from the various compartments of the sorting Machine. They are transferred (through a vacuum system) to large bags located inside each bagging chamber.

Each bag represents a different and unique separated quality.

Once the bags are filled they are removed, tied and labeled for identification and are now ready to be shipped to customers.Once the bags are filled they are removed, tied and labeled for identification and are now ready to be shipped to customers.